By L. Parsons The City of Winslow bids a fond farewell to Police Chief Dan Brown after three years of service. Brown came to Winslow after having served as the police chief in St. Johns. Before that, he was a police officer. Brown said, “I have, once all is said and done, spent over 28 years in uniform.” Between time spent in the Marine Corps and on the street as a police officer, Brown has been in public service over half of his life. “I am ready to ride my motorcycle across the country and kind of live my life on my terms for a while.” Those terms will include moving to the Phoenix area to finish out a degree in criminal justice leadership and submitting a dissertation on rebuilding police departments. “That is what I have done and what is my life’s work. I have sat on many panels and committees and lectured on healing departments after violent police encounters.” After reaching his educational goals, Brown intends to continue lecturing. “I’m 46 years old so I still have a lot to offer. My goal is to make it to the academia portion of law enforcement. That’s what I want to put my energy into. I already present around the country and I would like to continue that energy of teaching and educating upcoming law enforcement officers and administrators.” Brown had many good things to say about his time in Winslow and mentioned that he has learned a lot about policing by serving there. “There are a lot of good people in Winslow. I feel like I was embraced and welcomed right away and I have felt that my entire time here. Beyond that, there has been a lot of problem solving that we have done here. I feel like a lot was accomplished. The police department looks different, the equipment is different, the professionalism is higher. We have revamped so much including correcting everything mentioned in the PERF report.” The PERF report was a review of the Winslow Police Department released by the Police Executive Research Forum in 2017. It is available on the City of Winslow’s website at www.winslowaz.gov. Brown continued, “Next month, we will go through the accreditation process. That is a huge feather in the cap of the City of Winslow and this agency. We have made such great strides and are an example to other departments.” He explained that the Page Police Department is looking into developing a Citizen Liaison Committee in the same vein as the Winslow CLC. “I went to Page and I spoke with their chief there and told him how we went about building the CLC. They are a border town like us and face unique challenges. I think the key there as well as here, is recognizing that the people who come into our town from the Navajo Nation are not just visitors but they are part of our community.” Leonard Gorman of the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission recently recognized Brown as an example of good policing in a border town. Brown said, “I got a letter from Leonard that was very complimentary of what our department has done. I will tell you that my perspectives on policing changed when I got here because I listened to the community. First of all, we are facing about 34 percent poverty here and we are a small town with some big city problems.” However, Brown said, “I have had significant wins here, alongside a great team of people. Some of the best ideas have been from the line level officers. When I’m out working task force with them, and can talk to them, I hear their ideas and their thoughts. I also think it’s important to recognize this team for all the good that they have done. On the other side of that, when mistakes are made, there has to be accountability.” As the city looks to the process of hiring a new chief in July, Brown noted. “I believe that energy will continue. I think a new chief will come in here and have basically a turnkey agency. Especially since we have redone our entire policy manual, we have a fleet of new vehicles, we have better technology and we have great people. “Yes, there are still things that need to be accomplished, that’s never going to change. It has to constantly be fluid and constantly improving. Each time a boss leaves, there is some uneasiness but eventually everyone settles back in and things get back to normal. He recalled that when he first came to Winslow three years ago the town was what he called “a tough sell,” but no longer. “There are a lot of chiefs now that want to come here, there aren’t a lot of intensive challenges that will have to face here, and we are on track to be fully accredited in July. The next chief coming in will be a quality candidate that will be ready to take this agency to the next level. Especially if they listen to the community and keep an open-door policy and continue to work well with our partners in other agencies around here.” He concluded, “I’ve done what I was asked to do and I’m proud of that.” Until a police chief is selected, Lt. Ken Arend will act as interim chief.
